IFA REJECT ELECTRONIC TAGGING FOR FACTORY LAMBS

IFA National Sheep Committee Chairman James Murphy has rejected ICSA’s concession that all lambs destined for factory slaughter will have to be electronically tagged.
James Murphy said this would cost Irish sheep farmers up to €2.5m per annum. “IFA fought a hard campaign at national and EU level to secure a full EID derogation on all factory and mart lambs.”
Mr Murphy said the willingness of ICSA to extend electronic tagging to lambs for slaughter because of pressure from the factories made no sense for sheep farmers. He said the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith has made it very clear that lambs to the factory or mart do not have to carry an EID tag and he cannot give in to pressure from the factories or ICSA to change that derogation.
The IFA Sheep Chairman pointed out that at the recent round of Teagasc/Department of Agriculture sheep meetings around the country, senior Department officials made it very clear that the current derogation on lambs going for slaughter will continue. He said it was also made very clear by farmers attending these meetings that they want the existing derogation to continue.
James Murphy said numerous other issues of concern on electronic tagging were raised with the Department by farmers at these meetings.